Preview

Jos Buttler has already called this series "a bit of a new beginning". He arrives on the Caribbean shores still intact as the ODI captain, and accompanying him are only five other members from England's underwhelming campaign at the World Cup in India last month. But there's another trophy to be won in a few months time, albeit in the T20 format, which means England don't have the time to start from scratch. So they have retained faith in Buttler at the top, a World Cup-winning captain nonetheless as they aim for a soft reset in white-ball cricket. If why they are doing so with an ODI series while preparing for a T20 World Cup is what's bothering you, then welcome to cricket in 2023.

The ODI format is something that the West Indies wouldn't mind engaging with. Having failed to qualify, they just spent the last couple of months watching teams at the ODI World Cup, a tournament that they helped establish the legacy of once upon a time. And there's all of four years to build towards winning an ICC ODI trophy, for they will again be participating in the Champions Trophy only as viewers. Under Shai Hope as captain and Alzarri Joseph as the new vice captain, they start a new cycle by taking on England, a team they love to beat and a team which tends to bring the best out of them. There will be no Nicholas Pooran, Jason Holder and Darren Bravo turning up for them this time, so it will be up to the fresh faces in the camp to step up and make a mark.

All in all, the series might seem like low-stakes on first glance but there's plenty of opportunities for both teams to suss out new players on the circuit. What does Alick Athanaze have up his sleeve? How exciting will Will Jacks be at the top of the order? Can Rehan Ahmed stand up to the standards set by Adil Rashid? How will Alzarri perform with the vice-captaincy tag? There's plenty to look forward to as both teams not only build up to the next ODI World Cup but also slowly get into rhythm for the upcoming T20 World Cup, which will be played in the same conditions.

When: 1st ODI, December 3, 2023, 09:30 AM LOCAL

Where: Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua

What to expect: The ground last hosted ODIs in 2021, all three of which were won by the hosts. The pitches here are usually slow, which means middling scores. The 300-mark has been breached only three times in 20 ODIs here but England's all-out approach, if still around, could mean that West Indies could be forced to go hard at the top too.

Team News

West Indies:

Batting allrounder Sherfane Rutherford and bowling allrounder Matthew Forde are the two uncapped players in the squad and in line to make their debuts. Shane Dowrich, who was named in the squad after a gap of three years, has since retired much to the surprise of everyone and hence won't be available.

Probable XI: Brandon King, Kjorn Ottley, Alick Athanaze, Shai Hope (c/w), Keacy Carty, Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford, Matthew Forde/Romario Shepherd, Alzarri Joseph, Oshane Thomas, Gudakesh Motie

England:

Buttler has confirmed that he won't move to the top of the order, which would mean that Will Jacks, Phil Salt and Zak Crawley are likely to take the top three spots.

Probable XI: Phil Salt, Will Jacks, Zak Crawley, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c/w), Ben Duckett, Liam Livingstone/Tom Hartley, Sam Curran, Brydon Carse, Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson

Did you know?

West Indies and England last played each other in an ODI at the 2019 World Cup

Buttler is 39 runs away from 5000 ODI runs but comes into this game with only 51 runs in his last five ODIs

In 2023, Hope has averaged nearly 80 in the middle overs (11-40) at a strike-rate of 91

What they said:

"We have had one bad tournament. It [England cricket] has been in a great place for a long time and you see the depth of talent of guys coming through and you want to help shape that period of white ball cricket. That's something I feel responsibility and motivation for and individually I am always incredibly motivated to perform the best I can and reach my potential. Any time that you get challenged and get pushed back and people challenge that sort of thing, it certainly lights a few fires and motivates you" - Jos Buttler, England captain

Squads:

England Squad: Philip Salt, Will Jacks, Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Liam Livingstone, Jos Buttler(w/c), Sam Curran, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Gus Atkinson, Tom Hartley, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, John Turner, Rehan Ahmed

West Indies Squad: Brandon King, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope(w/c), Roston Chase, Sherfane Rutherford, Shane Dowrich, Gudakesh Motie, Keacy Carty, Oshane Thomas, Alzarri Joseph, Romario Shepherd, Yannic Cariah, Alick Athanaze, Kjorn Ottley, Matthew Forde